Decorative plaster cornices, medallions and crown moldings are an old house’s crowning glory. But too often these beautiful, intricate features are in need of repair or, worse, missing altogether. Restoration expert Ken Hughes will demonstrate how to repair decorative plaster and cast replacement parts using molds. Afterward, tour the Hauck House and see the restoration in progress. “Restoring Decorative Plaster” is the third in our popular “Old House Interiors” series. Look for more programs coming this fall.

Ken Hughes has over 20 years of experience in preservation. He is the owner of Decorative Restorations, a firm specializing in historically appropriate design and the restoration and repair of historic structures.

Free admission for CPA members and students, $15.00 guests. Reservations required: 513-721-4506or info@cincinnatipreservation.org. Parking available in gravel lot behind house on Horace Alley.

“We were involved in the original effort to save these murals,” said Paul Muller, the association’s executive director. “We are lucky they were created, saved and now available for return to Cincinnati.”

The nine murals stand in two shuttered terminals slated for demolition at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Plans call for the terminals to be wrecked by 2015. The city of Cincinnati has first right of refusal to find the murals a new home. Mayor Mark Mallory wants to bring the works of nickel-sized pieces of colored glass and tinted mortar back to Ohio and inside the Duke Energy Convention Center.

The estimated cost to pack, remove, transport and install the nine, 20-feet by 20-feet, 8-ton panels is $5 million to $7 million. Governmental funds are not available to foot the entire bill.

Public money was also in short supply when the murals were moved to the airport in 1973. That’s when Cincinnati Preservation Association’s initial incarnation, the Miami Purchase Association for Historic Preservation, stepped in. Association officials also made sure, Muller noted, that the murals’ deed “specified that the city had first choice if the murals were ever to be moved again.”

Muller said reserving them once more “will add to the rich heritage of Cincinnati.”

Since an Enquirer story broke the news of the murals’ plight and the association’s involvement in raising funds to save the works of art, Muller said he has “been contacted by several individuals and an investment banker. They wanted to know when Cincinnati Preservation Association will be accepting donations.”

The answer is now.

If you prefer to donate by check, please make checks payable to: Save the Murals Fund and mail to 342 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.